G2 Esports and Hanwha Life Esports took charge of the League of Legends event at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, July 16. Both squads won their groups and are set to advance to the next stage. G2 beat FURIA in 32 minutes, then topped FlyQuest in 34 to rule Group A. Hanwha Life crushed CTBC Flying Oyster in 28 minutes and KOI in 29 to lead Group B.

Cloud9 and GAM Esports are out after two straight losses. FURIA stayed in the race with a 34-minute win over Cloud9, while CTBC Flying Oyster knocked out GAM in 28 minutes. FlyQuest and FURIA meet next for a playoff spot, with the winner to face Gen.G. KOI will take on CTBC Flying Oyster for the last slot in the top six.

The 12-team event has a $2 million prize pool. The champ gets $600,000 and 1,000 club points. All games will move to a best-of-three format from here, with the final set scheduled for Sunday.

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Korean esports team Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) has renewed its partnership with The Plaza hotel. As part of the deal, fans who book a stay at The Plaza Seoul Autograph Collection during HLE match days will get tickets to the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Rounds 1-2. 

The hotel will also hold a draw where guests can win a signed HLE uniform. However, the financial details of the deal were not shared.

HLE’s rise to the top

The team recently won the 2025 First Stand event, the first big tournament of the year. In the Grand Final, HLE beat European squad Karmine Corp. 

The match drew over 1 million viewers, making it the second most-watched series this year. HLE took home $300,000 from the $1 million prize pool. The win pushed them to the top of the global rankings, overtaking Korean giants T1 and Gen.G.

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